Out of the dust....

[Kevin Dill]

A good friend of a friend recently asked me if I was interested in helping him determine the value of, and then sell several bows. These are all bows he personally owns, and there is significant provenance to a couple of them.

I'm not certain I've come to the right venue here, so please accept my apology if I've made a mistake.

At this point I won't go into a lot of detail (in case I'm in the wrong place) but will follow up with all possible info as necessary. The bows are these:

Bear A Handle Magnesium riser in rough condition

Bear C Handle Magnesium green w/white limbs

Hoyt Pro Medalist TD Target, signed by Ann & Earl

Bear A Handle Wood w/black limbs in good condition

Bear TD limbs (3 sets...1 set is target)

Bear Signature B Handle TD in walnut case. Has never been assembled. Personal gift from Fred Bear. (SN 41)

Bear TD soft case, black ext...red lining.

I have a rudimentary knowledge of Bear bows and their values, but I am not a collector or historian. The owner of these bows has a very long history of bowhunting, and he was president of a company that most bowhunters and archers recognize. As said, my interest is in determining a reasonable value for these items, and then will all be going for sale.

Kevin Dill

[PAPALAPIN]

Some of those bows will bring big bucks, some are mideocre.

The rule of thumb is that they are worth what someone will pay...no more, no less.  the only way to really know is to put hem up for auction on e8ay.  The bidders will set the value.

Of course that does not say that he is ready to sell them right now, so that may not be a good way to find out.

Some others here may step in and give their opinion as to what some of these are worth to them.

Now in my ignorance, I was not aware that there was aa Signature "A" handle.  I thought they were all "B" risers in the series.  That bow should bring big bucks.  I know some of the "B" risers Signatures have gone for as much as $5000.00, possibly more.  In my opinion, an "A" riser would be less common and possibly be worth more.  In any case, the value will be effected by the economy, the condition, if it is signed by Papa Bear, and other factors.

You can go to e8ay and search for these individual items under arcehry in the compleated items catagory and see what like items have sold for over the past 60 days, although I am sure you will not  find some of those rare items.

Now if he wants to sell me the Signature A handle in the case, I will give him $100.00 for it...hey, I took a shot.    

[d. ward]

A-C mags with limbs can run from 200.00 to 400.00 pending on condition and draw weight...Hoyt bow maybe 200.00 to 400.00 ish..Bear A handle with black limbs ? what year is it ??? 3 sets of limbs 150.00-250.00 again pending draw weight and condition..Bear signature A handle in walnut case ??? got any pics of that one ???????? bd

[Kevin Dill]

Great questions guys. First the signature bow: It is currently on its way to me. I referred to it as an "A" riser...but it could be a "B". I don't have it here to look at, and I can't get that answered for a bit. The rest of the info on that signature bow is accurate. SN-41, gold hardware, case, personal gift, etc.

I will begin loading pics as soon as I have time to take them...none yet.

The limbs on the wood A are #3s with white tip overlays. Riser sn is 1880. The limbs are vgc with no linear or horiz stress marks.

Other limbs are: #3s black/white tip  /  #3s white/black tip  /  #1s black/red tip

Thanks to all,

Kevin

[d. ward]

Keep us posted as I may have a few people interested in some of your items when your ready.bowdoc

[Kevin Dill]

You bet. I have confirmed the signature bow is a B, and edited the original posting...thanks again for your knowledge.

Kevin

[PAPALAPIN]

Kevin

Although I said that I did not know there was such a thing as an "A" riser Signature bow does not mean that it does not exist.  BowDoc and Wade would be the ones to really know about that.

Doc, I assume that when you value the 3 sets of limbs at $150 - $250 you mean per set.  I will give $250 for all three right now.  Again, a lot depends on timing, the economy, and market conditions.  I gave $300 for a set of black lims/white tips 50# with mismatched serial numbers.  In my opinion, given the same condition,the white tips will go for higher that the red tips. Also the weight rating of each set of limbs will have  a bearing.  The heavier the weight, the higher the value.  Most collectors want the hunting weights rather than the target weights.  Keep in mind I said "in my opinion".

[Kevin Dill]

Here are pics of the A handle takedown: Limbs are #3s listed at 55# on A riser.

[d. ward]

Ok I will take a stab at her the A is a type 1 1970-ish.One draw back is the hole for cushin plunger and sight holes(none factory).I do not think thats a factory plunger button hole and may have been added after the fact(wrong bushing on the right side of the hole).That type plunger hole should have had a factory metal adjustable strike plate as well.Again just working off the pics and hard to say without seing the bow in hand.Some guy's like them and some don't.Two sight holes in the sightrail none factory and a little draw back also.As for value I would venture to say with the limbs somewhere between 900.00 to 1,200.00 -ish somewhere in there.
Little trivia Bear archery did not make any signature A risers until around the year 2000-2002 well after Freds passing.The sig A's came with 22 crt gold plated hardware same as the original B sig bow did but looks more like the new Supreme rather then the early signatures did.more pics ???????? bowdoc

[PAPALAPIN]

That riser has brown bears on the clamps.  That says first year to me.  1970.  Not an expert on it but I thought it curiousthat it had a pluner hole in it, especially since it encroaches on the Bear coin. I was going to ask if it was like that from the factory until I saw Don's post.

[d. ward]

Yes Jack all the black and tan A's and B's & C's had the brown bears on the yokes.As for the plunger my thought was the same as it should not have been drilled that high in the riser...bd

[Tom I.]

If that set of #1 limbs are in the 40-45lb range, I'd be interested in them....
Tom I.

[Kevin Dill]

The #1 limb set is 58# at 60" on a B riser.

There is one set of black #3 limbs that are in the 40's.

My personal take on the A handle bow is that it is a great shooter for the guy that really wants to hunt with one...or just have one to shoot. It has had a fair amount of alteration that affects its value as a collection bow somewhat. In the hand, it is still a very nice, pretty and worthy weapon.

Planning to take (and post) additional pics this evening. Thanks guys.

Kevin

[CrookedStick]

Ouch, drilling holes in an original A riser should be a crime!

That said, I have A-riser #1879, so thinking with my heart and not my head, I guess I should really be interested in that A-riser #1880.

You guys are killing me with the sickness.

And Doc, I was planning to hunt with an A-riser until you just told me what it's worth!

Is any of that stuff really worth more than $125?  

[Kevin Dill]

I spoke to the owner of these bows today. Regarding the plunger hole in the A riser bow: This hole was drilled at the Bear factory in Grayling, MI while he waited on it. Fred Bear had it done according to the request of the owner, and it is perhaps the only one ever done at the Bear factory.

Next pics are of the Hoyt Pro Medalist.

[Kevin Dill]

Next is the magnesium C handle target bow. The paint is green, and in generally good shape except for a significant loss on the back side of the sight window area...secondary to some (probably adhesive) accessory. The limbs are almost pristine.

[Kevin Dill]

The #3 series target limbs:

[Kevin Dill]

The #1 series limbs. These are in good structural condition, but the finish is moderately rough. Several chips and nicks in the finish...many light scuffs and scratches. Normal stress lines in the glass. Certainly good for use; need refinished for best appearance.

[Kevin Dill]

And the #3 series black limbs. These are very, very nice visually...great in fact.

[Kevin Dill]

And here is the magnesium A riser. It was a green flocked finish, and some of the texture still remains intact. It is visually rough, but structurally sound. 1R grip.